I agree wholeheartedly Colleen! I think the idea that kids have to go everywhere adults go is a byproduct of both parents working and the associated guilt. But in the end, I feel it's a disservice not only to adults but to the kids too. I believe that kids need to see their parents going off to do adult things and need to understand that adults do things that aren't allowed or appropriate for kids. It's part of the growing up process. When we tell kids that they are equal to adults somehow or that nothing is off limits, what do they have to strive for? Not that going to bars or drinking alcohol is necessarily something to strive for, but when we grow up, we acquire both additional responsibilities and privileges. I'm not sure that either of those concepts are being taught to many kids these days.

Ah, summer reading-my favorite topic. Well, except for autumn reading. Or winter reading. Or spring reading... This summer, alas, I got lost in Westeros. Although I haven't seen the tv version, I decided to give A Game of Thrones a try, since the reviews of both the show and book were so strong. Fantasy is not a genre I ever read but I figured what the heck, if I didn't like the first chapter I could just move on. Oh my. I started GOT on my summer beach vacation, then snapped up the next 3 books on Amazon and just finished A Dance with Dragons last night. What an incredible saga! The author created such an vivid evocation of a medieval world, which he based on the York and Lancaster era of British history. The characters, the plot, the intricacy of weaving together storylines, totally addictive. For a non-fantasy fan, the magic is woven into the plotlines in such a way that it is integral to the story. I don't know if I want to watch the HBO version; I tend to prefer to keep my own mental images of literary characters. I'll probably cave though, evidently HBO, and George Martin who was involved in the production's writing, did a great job translating the books to visuals so far. The relatively few other books I managed to fit in (each of those Song of Ice and Fire tomes are thousand page monsters) included 11/22/63, our summer book club assignment. Enjoyed it a lot. I quit reading Stephen King decades ago. A very skillful writer but the horror schtick got old--just when I'd get swept into the story oops there comes a ghost, or a vicious otherworldly murderer or whatever. But this book about time travel was touching, and thought provoking. I have Gone Girl on my nightstand, and wonder how it will compare to Gillian Flynn's other two books. Those were very, very dark and the protagonists were decidedly not warm n fuzzy characters. Looking forward to starting this one. I am also ready for Sacre Bleu, which got great reviews. A book about solving Vincent Van Gogh's presumptive murder...interesting premise. Other recent reads: Seating Arrangements-stopped reading this one although it got good reviews. About an upper crust family wedding in New England, but I couldn't stand or believe in a single character. Maybe it was just me though, others might like it. The Underside of Joy-a somewhat soap opera-ish book about a woman whose husband dies suddenly, leaving her to raise his two small children. Then the ex-wife and biomom shows up, and life takes some interesting turns. The Lifeboat-set around the turn of the century, a young social climber on her honeymoon is set adrift after the ship on which she and her husband are traveling sinks. Quintessential unreliable narrator tale, and I'm a sucker for survival at sea stories. Girlchild-one of the best, though darkest, books I've read in years. Superbly written story about a girl growing up in a very tough neighborhood near Las Vegas, with a single mom and a lot of obstacles to overcome. Really, really good book. The Language of Flowers-another book about a girl on her own, quite different style from Girlchild but a warm redemptive ending makes it a little lighter read. Defending Jacob-wow, this was a page turner! Story of a lawyer father doing what the title says for his son Jacob, who is accused of killing a classmate in his tony suburban high school. Similar to We Need to Talk about Kevin so you're warned...this is definitely nightmare-parenting material. But so well written, kept me riveted till the very end, which had one last shocking plot twist. The Art of Fielding-I resisted this one for awhile because I'm not a baseball fan and I thought that was most of the plot. Turns out baseball is the framework but there was so much more to this story about a talented young college player who goes into a severe slump. Though it took a bit of a detour mid-book, I really enjoyed the characters and it was definitely worth reading. An Available Man-a guy who is widowed tries to move on after losing a much loved spouse. Nicely written, gentle book that caught the spirit of the mantra "you don't get over it, you get through it" in someone's life. Those are the fiction books. Some recent non-fiction I liked: Would it Kill You to Stop Doing That-A Modern Guide to Manners-hilarious, definitely worth a read and thought provoking underneath a very funny writing style. Eating Clean for Dummies-pretty much what you'd think from the title. Interesting explanation of food chemistry and tips on how to do better than the standard agrobusiness/big grocery/chain restaurant shopping pattern. The American Way of Eating-good companion to the book above, the author went undercover at various stops on the agrobusiness/big grocery/chain restaurant cycle in the US, including working at Walmart, Applebees and corporate owned farms. Quite enlightening. Ninety Days: A Memoir of Recovery-a sequel from Bill Clegg, again pretty self explanatory title. Father's Day: A Journey into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary Son-memoir by a successful author (he wrote Friday Night Lights) about a road trip taken with his twentysomething son. Son, a twin, was born very premature and suffered brain damage leaving him developmentally disabled. His twin brother grew up normally, went on to an Ivy League college and a career as a teacher. The book describes a cross country drive for the father and 'damaged' son to connect, but the author writes about his feelings on raising a child with severe health issues, the son's life and attitudes, etc. Very moving. Winter King-Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England. Oakley, this book's for you! And for everyone else obsessed with this time period. Very deeply researched history of the title character and the world he inhabited, which of course set the stage for the reign of his son. And last but maybe best: Wild-this memoir by Cheryl Strayed is a (deservedly) best seller. Strayed spent several months hiking to try to resolve issues in her life following the death of her mother, and the downward spiral that followed for her. Beautifully written and as someone who also lost my mother at about the same age as Strayed, it certainly rang true in so many ways. Great book. That's probably enough from me for one day! Hope to hear about more good books, you can never have too many waiting in the queue. Ann

Ann I haven't read anything by Heyer since I was about 15! Not so long ago I was at a church sale and picked up a copy of something by GH and casually remarked to a woman next to me "We used to read her stuff when young perhaps as a lead-in to Jane Austen". The woman, a rather serious do-gooder, looked at me as though I told her I still read Enid Blyton. I returned the book to the counter and slunk away. Tim, EJH certainly had 'boundary issues' as you well-describe them. When first married and very young and naive with her husband away at Sea, and living with his family she and his equally young half-brother had a 'crush' on each other; probably nothing serious but they made the fatal mistake of telling both the husband and the M-in-L. Her whole life seems to have been a series of similar moral blunders. She wrote about them quite candidly in her autobiography Slipstream; well worth reading.

I agree with the points that both of you made. None of the factors which made marriages with such age differences a practical choice existed in this particular relationship. However, in a society where such relationships were common and accepted, no one was likely to blink when someone who didn't have a practical reason for it also made that choice. It looked normal to them. About Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, I don't like such editing. Books reflect their times, and readers should understand this. Besides, I don't think of them as racist. Yes, they do use language which we no longer tolerate, but it was standard practice at the time. Omitting it is a distortion. I do understand that I might have a different emotional reaction to that language if I had different life experiences. Anyway I have long thought that the runaway slave Jim is the real hero of Huck Finn. For all his humility, he is far smarter, wiser, and far more moral than Huck. In his parochial ignorance Huck looks down on Jim, but that says more about Huck than it does about Jim. And in the end, even he comes to value Jim's qualities.